In recognition of CHE’s 10th anniversary, colleagues who have been particularly instrumental to shaping CHE this past decade will be invited to write an introduction. This month’s introduction is by Maria Valenti, who serves as the national coordinator for CHE’s Healthy Aging and the Environment Initiative.

They are all about aging well.

April 7th was World Health Day, an annual observation to mark the founding of the World Health organization (WHO) in 1948. The theme this year is “Good health adds years to life.” According to a statement issued by the United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, this theme “conveys an important message: promoting health throughout life improves one’s chances of remaining healthy and productive in one’s later years.”

This statement could have been lifted from the pages of the report Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging co-authored in 2008 by Drs. Ted Schettler and Jill Stein, myself, and Ben Rohrer. CHE’s relatively new Healthy Aging and the Environment Initiative was founded on this same premise, a life-course approach to health, which recognizes that the path to healthy aging is paved with healthy pregnancies, childhoods and mid-lives.

It is ever more important to consider the health of those who are aging as the number of this population swells dramatically, nearly doubling in the US over the next two decades. Soon, worldwide, for the first time in history, there will be more people aged 65 or over than children under 5.

In the spirit of dialogue and civility…

Essays and other writings are presented in the spirit of dialogue and civility that CHE represents. While varying viewpoints are welcome, comments are moderated to ensure a respectful and civil discourse. Please sign comments with your complete name; anonymous comments will not be accepted.

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.